


Fall in love in mysterious ways

by akosmia



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, But it ends well i swear, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-03-13 19:12:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3393011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akosmia/pseuds/akosmia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Nico's quiet and unreadable as always, and Will finds his company weirdly welcome - he doesn't have to fake a smile that doesn't reach his eyes, with Nico, and that is all he wants right now. And it's weird - being so comfortable with someone so silent and terrifying but Nico's not the terrible person he thinks he is. He's just a kid, and Will likes his quietness, the fact that he doesn't feel the need to fill the silence with useless comforting words. He's just quiet, silent Nico and that's what Will needs right now.</i>
</p>
<p>Five times Will and Nico talked and one time they didn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fall in love in mysterious ways

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry. It was supposed to be shorter (like, a lot shorter), but then I started it and I couldn't stop? Don't look at me, it's not my fault. These two have taken over my life.  
> As always, English is not my first language, so if you spot any mistake, please let me know, and thank you!  
> Title is from Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran.

(i)

Will has just left the infirmary after a very demonstrative lesson on how to medicate recalcitrant Ares' children, when he notices the kid sitting all alone, playing with some kind of card game he doesn't know. He recognizes him, though: he's the kid with the Italian name Will's father brought to camp on his sun chariot. Will's not jealous - he learned a long time ago that when gods suddenly pop in your life, they generally don't want to compliment on how well you're doing or how your new haircut really suits you (though this sounds like something his father could do. Nevermind).

Anyway, the kid is sitting there all by himself in the dim light of the sunset and he looks pretty lonely, so Will does the natural thing: he goes talking to him.

"Hey," he says, waving a hand to catch the kid's attention, but he doesn't even look at him. "I'm Will. Will Solace."

The kid nods. "I'm Nico." he says, eyes fixed on his cards. Will should be angry, or at least bothered, but the kid - Nico - looks so lonely and pensive he doesn't even try to be offended.  
  
Instead, he sits next to him and watches his face, the fading light casting shadows on his skin. He looks terrible, but Will decides to not bring this up - it doesn't look like a promising conversation starter.  
  
He tries again.  
  
"What are you playing at?" he asks, even though he's not really interested in cards game. But he figures out that the best way to get Nico talking is by bringing up a familiar and harmless subject. He doesn't even know why he wants this kid to talk - Will suspects it's an Apollo thing. The thing he does better is healing people, fixing them, and maybe he hopes to fix Nico, to make it better.  
  
He's too young to know that you can fix cuts and bones and bruises, but not souls. He's too young and too naive and he hopes there's something he can do to help this quiet kid.  
  
There's a moment of silence, before Nico replies.  
  
"Mythomagic." he says, in the end. The name doesn't ring any bells in Will's mind, but, after all, he has not left Camp Halfblood for years. It's not like they play cards game here - the only way Will can imagine this happening is if Ares children used the cards as some kind of ninja weapon. It doesn't make him keen to see that happening.  
  
Nico interprets his silence. "Wait, you don't know Mythomagic? You don't have Mythomagic here? You are children of gods and you --" he finally looks at him and his big, dark eyes are like _I'm so done with this Camp thing take me back to that chimera please._  
  
"Sorry if we don't keep ourselves update on mortal games, it's kinda difficult to play cards when you are fighting monsters, you know." Will says and he notices the first smile on Nico's face. Wow. Without all that broody _I'm alone nobody understands me_ kind of expression, he looks about Will's age - ten, maybe eleven. Will didn't realize how his serious face made him look somehow older. "You can always teach me, you know. Fighting ignorance and stuff."  
  
Nico snorts.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose." he says, and shrugs. The quiet hilarity on his face fades almost immediately and his smile disappears as Will watches him clutching his cards - as if he's afraid that, if he lets them go, they could disappear forever.  
  
It's kinda sad.  
  
"So," Will begins, because that's who he is. He is not a fighter, he's not good with a bow, he can't sing to save his life, and his poetry is terrible - but he can heal. This is his gift and he knows how to put it to good use. "What's happening?"  
  
Nico stays quiet for a few minutes. The sun is almost set, and the night comes creeping on, surrounding them in darkness. Being a child of the sun's god, he doesn't like darkness so much. He likes summer and the feeling of sunshine on his skin, and the way the world lights up in shades of red and pink and yellow when the sun rises.  
  
But Nico looks comfortable in the darkness, so he stays there.  
  
"It's my sister." Nico says, after a while. The sound of his voice cuts through the darkness and finds Will. "I mean, she's gone on this quest thing ... And I'm afraid." Will can't read well his expression, but judging from the way his voice shakes, he knows how hard must be for Nico to admit it. "She's all the family I've got. I can't lose her."  
  
Will doesn't know what to say. Healing cuts and scratches is easy - he has to disinfect them, to clean them up and cover them in bandages. That's what he has learned today. But healing people - that's hard.  
  
"Hey, your sister is with Thalia." he says, in the end, trying to sound reassuring and hopeful. "Thalia's great. She'll bring back your sister without a scratch".  
  
Nico doesn't seem so convinced. His expression is tight, like he's keeping himself from bursting into tears. This kid is braver than he looks, Will decides.  
  
"Yeah. But even if she comes back, she won't be my sister anymore." he replies, hurt in his voice. "She's still a Hunter. She'll leave me".  
  
Will realizes Nico's only ten years old and completely alone here at Camp and he's trying his best to be strong, to face it all, but he's just a kid. Will remembers when he was like that - when he was just a new kid and didn't have anyone to trust, to lean on, when he was all alone, telling himself it was going to be alright. He doesn't know how Nico can put up with that everyday. It takes a lot of courage just to wake up in the morning, he realizes.  
  
"I'm sure Artemis will let her visit sometimes." he says, trying to cheer him up. Nico deserves to be reassured - he deserves someone to look after him.  
  
"How can you be so sure?" Nico asks, looking at Will like he's ready to accuse him.  
  
"Because Artemis is cool. Beside the whole _Boys are gross I hate them_ thing, I mean." Will says, and shrugs. "She's one of the most reasonable gods. But don't tell anyone I said that, I don't want to turn into a frog or something like that".  
  
At that, Nico finally smiles. It's a sad and pensive smile, but a smile nonetheless. Will feels like he just won the Olympiads.  
  
"Well, won't you teach me about this Mythomagic thing?" he asks, after a while, and Nico sighs and hands him a bunch of cards.  
  
(ii)

Will becomes head counselor of his cabin at thirteen. He's young and unprepared and his hands shake when his brothers hug him, at the campfire, but it's okay, it's normal - that's just life, clinging to his bones and reminding him he's alive and he's breathing, and he's so, so young and terrified.  
  
It's okay to be scared, he tells himself, after all there is a part of him that is still desperately human, and humans are scared and it's normal. It's not a weakness. He just has to embrace that fear and not letting it ruling him.  
  
He can do that. He has to do that.  
  
That's when he spots Nico di Angelo at the edge of the campfire. The flames cast odd shadow on his face, and his eyes dart from face to face, as if he's watching a scene he can't be part of.  
  
Will walks to him - it's kind of reassuring, in a way, even if can't explain why. He knows most people fear Nico, but he reminds him of a simpler time, of a night spent playing Mythomagic, of shy smiles and naive wishes to fix people.  
  
Will is thirteen now, and while he's still learning how to heal bodies, he knows he can't heal souls. He remembers that burning desire clouding up his heart and Nico di Angelo's face - lost in the darkness, sad and pensive - and he wishes that, somehow, he had found a way to make it all okay.  
  
He didn't. He hasn't. He's only a thirteen years old boy who has too many responsibilities on his shoulder, and he doesn't know how to make everything okay. He wishes he did, but he doesn't - and Nico's sad eyes hunt him in the night, and he knows promises are dangerous, but he wants to help him.  
  
"Hey," he says. Nico turns in his direction and Will's shocked to realize how much paler he looks. He wasn't exactly tanned the last time he saw him - two years ago, he looked at him from Apollo's table while Nico sat with the Hermes children, but by the next day he was gone and Will didn't know where he had vanished and he couldn't help but think _this is my fault_ \- but now his skin is almost translucent, the intricate tapestry of blue veins in his arms shining under the light of the fire. It's so wrong Will loses track of what he's saying. "I'm Will. You --"  
  
"I remember you." Nico interrupts him, and there's something he's not saying, something like _and I remember how you promised me Bianca would come back and she didn't._  
  
Will feels like his heart is breaking from all the guilty and he remembers - he remembers a lonely kid sitting in the dark and the stupid, naive idea he could fix him and promise him his sister would come back. But he's not a god, he can't promise things that aren't in his possibilities and he's just Will, and that is not enough.  
  
"You should go with the others. Celebrate." he says, in the end.  
  
Nico looks at him and his face is almost confused in shadows. The night clings to him and his bones and it drapes him in darkness. Will can't read his expression, but he feel the earth wither under their feet and he knows he should be scared, but he isn't. Nico's just a kid. He's scary and angry and broken but he is a kid anyway. Maybe it's because he remembers the little kid he found sitting all alone and playing cards, or maybe because he's tired and he has seen things he wishes to forget, but Nico di Angelo doesn't scare him. He just makes him wish he could fix people as well as bones.  
  
"I don't feel like it." Nico says, after a while. His voice trembles with rage and bitterness.  
  
"Listen," Will begins, because he knows he can't fix Nico but he has to do something, anything. "I know you're mad at me. I get it. I made a promise I couldn't keep and I'm sorry, Nico. I'm really sorry." Nico is not looking at him, but Will sees him clench his fists and he looks so pale and thin he's almost invisible. "But you can't just leave everyone behind. There is a place for you, here. You deserve to celebrate. You saved us. You earned that."  
  
Nico shakes his head, hands still clenched, eyes full of sorrow. "I don't want to celebrate. There is no place for me here."  
  
"You are wrong." Will replies. "This could be your home too. You don't have to push everyone away, there are people here who can help you".  
  
 _I can help you_ , he wants to say, but he's not the young naive kid he was years ago. He knows his hands have not the power to repair what is broken inside Nico, and even if he desperately wants to do something, there is nothing he can do. Pain and grief are a part of life, he can't just fight them like an infection, he can cut Nico's skin and order the pain to go away.  
  
Nico laughs, but it's an empty sound - so full of bitterness and anger Will's heart breaks.  
  
"Will, I'm not --" he tries to say, and his voice is still trembling, but there's something new - there's more than anger, more than pain. There's _fear_. "I'm not meant to be here. I'm not gonna fit in, I--" his voice breaks, and the next few words seems tears in the darkness. "I'm not normal".  
  
"Nobody here is normal, that's the whole point!" Will shouts. And he's so young, and he can't realize what Nico meant, and one day he'll look back to this conversation and curse himself, but right now he's young and scared and desperate for Nico to stay here, to find a place where he can rest. "I don't care if your father is the God of the Underworld, you are welcome here. You will always be."  
  
"I'm not." Nico replies, and he turns away from him, his back almost fading in the night. "I'm going to leave".  
  
Will's heart sinks.  
  
"I'm not going to convince you to stay. But I hope you'll change your mind, one day."  
  
Nico laughs again, the same empty sound. "I won't."  
  
"We'll see."  
  
(iii)  
  
Nico comes back in a cold January day. His skin is so pale he blends in with the snow, and his hair is a little bit longer than last summer, black tufts falling slightly on his eyes, but he looks the same - same mix of bitterness, anger and resignation in his gaze.  
  
The cold air bites Will's skin and he's not used to this weather, but it looks adequate to the camp's mood. He doesn't feel like lying in the sun at all, these days. He's fourteen and he's tired and there's a new war approaching and he just wants to close his eyes and open them when all of this is over. But he can't. He is head counselor of his cabin and he's a healer and he has to be awake, to be ready to help - and sometimes his hands tremble because he can't fix everything, because the memory of people ( _friends_ ) dying in front of him is still burning in his mind and the notion he couldn't do anything to save them haunts him like a ghost. And he swears to himself he'll be better, this time, but he's still so damn scared.  
  
But he's strong and he keep marching on, because that's what he has to do. There's no time to be a scared little kid anymore.  
  
Nico's quiet and unreadable as always, and Will finds his company weirdly welcome - he doesn't have to fake a smile that doesn't reach his eyes, with Nico, and that is all he wants right now. And it's weird - being so comfortable with someone so silent and terrifying but Nico's not the terrible person he thinks he is. He's just a kid, and Will likes his quietness, the fact that he doesn't feel the need to fill the silence with useless comforting words. He's just quiet, silent Nico and that's what Will needs right now.  
  
Nico is not even surprised to see him approaching and he welcomes him like some sort of pain he's used to tolerate, and Will almost smiles at that - it's sad smile and terrible and the world is such a horrible place right now, but he finds comfort in the annoyed expression he sees on Nico's face, and that's more than enough for now.  
  
"Solace." Nico says, greeting him. His eyes are dark and big and make him look even paler, and Will's mind races to find a solution, and his lips tremble because he desperately wants to ask are _you okay please let me help you_ , but he doesn't.  
  
He has stopped trying to fix people a long time ago.  
  
Instead, he just nods and tries a sympathetic smile."What are you doing here?" he asks, in the end, because he remembers very well Nico's back turned on him, the feeling of helplessness washing over him as he watched the boy run away in the dark.  
  
Nico stays quiet for minutes, like he's wondering if he can trust Will with an answer. "I'm not here to stay," he says, after all, and Will asks himself if Nico deemed him worthy or not. "I just wanted to know if there's news on Percy."  
  
Will knows Nico's telling the truth by the quiet resignation his body radiates - like he's too tired to even pull off a fight.  
  
He doesn't ask Nico anything.  
  
"No," it's what he says. There is no silent question, no request of explanation. Nico wants to know if they know anything about Percy and he just tells him. He doesn't ask Nico why, but rather he just accepts the notion and gives him all the information he has. "They believe Percy's been taken to another camp. Don't ask me, I have no idea. Annabeth is trying to locate the camp and Jason, the Roman dude, he came here less than a week after Percy went missing. Long story," he adds, when Nico furrows his brow silently asking for an explanation. "However, Jason's helping her, but even if they succeed, I don't think they're going to move until summer. And I think Annabeth will be totally crazy by then. She's so focused on finding Percy she doesn't even sleep, I'm scared".  
  
"I guess you sacrifice everything for the ones you love." Nico says, flatly, like he's asking him the time. But Will senses something in his tone, like he's trying with all he has to be calm, but there's a glimpse of something - _rage hatred fear resignation_ , Will can't quite recognize it - that surrounds his words. Something Nico's trying to conceal.  
  
Will doesn't ask.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." he agrees. "What about you?"  
  
Nico looks at him, and it looks like he's studying him, again. "What about me what? I hang out with ghosts, it's not like they can help us. I came here for news, if I had any I--"  
  
"I didn't mean to ask you if you had any news on Percy," Will interrupts him. "I was asking you if you were okay. You know. Since you spend so many time with ghosts, you could forget about your own health or something".  
  
Nico looks stunned.  
  
"You're asking me if I'm okay?" he asks, and he's quite a sight right now - a surprised expression that relives his face and makes him look so young, just the way it's supposed to be. "I just told you I summon ghosts and you're asking me if I'm okay?"  
  
"Well, I'm a little concerned for your mental health but I suppose you have everything under control, if that's what you mean." Will says, sarcastically, and he can't help himself. That's the first time he feels like joking in months and it' so weird that it's happening with gloomy Nico di Angelo, but in the end, he supposes it doesn't matter. He feels himself breathing and that's enough, that's good.  
  
"Aren't you scared?" Nico asks and he looks so sincere, so honestly curious that Will can't help but smile - and it's a real smile, and it hurts, of course, but he doesn't care. He's smiling and Nico's looking at him like he's crazy but also like he's the only sane person in the whole world and that feels so nice.  
  
"Of what? You? Of course I'm not scared of you," he responds, and Nico looks even more stunned. "You have great powers and ghosts freak me out, of course, but you're Nico and you don't scare me."  
  
Nico seems so young and fragile right now, and he looks like he wants to be angry or scary but, instead, he is just so hopeful and sad, like he wants that to be the truth. He wants people to not be scared of him. "I don't?" he asks, voice almost breaking.  
  
"You don't," Will confirms. He doesn't ask him about his expression, the way his eyes light up with gratitude. He supposes it's Nico's business, he doesn't want to force him to admit anything. "Gaea scares me, the war scares me, the feeling of blood on my hands scares me," he says, and his hands tremble a bit, so he shoves them in his pockets. "But you're not frightening".  
  
Nico seems to be unsure on how to handle this information, and with that insecure expression on his face he looks the way a thirteen years old boy should look. It's terrible, the way war and grief and pain changes people.  
  
"Nobody's ever said that." Nico says, in the end. Will shrugs.  
  
"Well, it was about time." Will's only half joking because it's true, because this kid deserves to hear that there are people who do not fear him, who aren't going to run if they meet him. He deserves to be a thirteen years old boy. "I'm not scared of you. And neither should you".  
  
Nico leaves soon after that, and Will's heart clenches as he watches him go.  
  
(iv)  
  
Nico stops by a day after he let him out, a can of Coke in his hands and an hesitant expression on his face. He seems afraid - as if, after battling giants and Titans and the freaking Earth, Will is the most terrifying thing he could ever met. That's not a boost of self esteem, but he doesn't mention it. He just appreciates the small steps - Nico coming to see him is important, is something and he's glad Nico's stopped denying himself the possibility of friendship.  
  
"I brought you something to drink?" he asks, like he's unsure about that, and then nods toward the door, silently asking him to follow him outside. Will smiles, and walks after Nico, stepping into the sunlight and enjoying the warmth on his skin. He hasn't been out of the infirmary for what it seems to be years, even if it was just a couple of hours, and he feels like he's breathing again. "I thought you could use a break."  
  
"I do, thank you."  
  
Will looks at Nico. He's still pale, and his black hair is still too long and falls on his eyes, and he's still broken, terrible scars not even Will can fix hiding just beneath the quiet surface of his expression, but there's something new about him - like he's trying to let all the fear and all that anger go, like he's finally trying to live, instead of just surviving.  
  
Will really likes this new part of Nico.  
  
"So, how's going on in there?" Nico asks, as Will opens his Coke. He shrugs.  
  
"I think the worst's over. I did everything I could." he explains, and he thinks about all the people he couldn't save. It's not his fault, he keeps telling himself, but it doesn't always work. He knows, rationally, he is not a god, he can't do miracles, he can't save everyone, but there's a part of him that longs for it - he wants to cure people, not watching them die. That's not why he decided to become a healer in the first place.  
  
"You did great." Nico says, bringing him back to the real world, and he's looking at him with his big, dark eyes and he's so convinced and determined and it's weird, seeing him like this, but it feels nice.  
  
"Was that a compliment?" he asks, smiling a little bit. Nico looks away, trying to act like it's nothing, but he's too pale to hide the blush on his face, and Will finds it kind of cute, in a weird way. "Thanks, by the way. I appreciate that. However, I'll be really glad when all of this will be over and all the cuts and bruises I'll have to mend will be from training sessions."  
  
Nico nods, watching the sun. "I can't say I disagree." he murmurs, his voice serious. "Things will get better, though."  
  
It's so weird, hearing those words coming out of Nico's mouth. Will's not used to see this side of Nico, this quiet, hopeful part of him that seems to come alive when he's around Will, but he can't say he doesn't like it. It's good, seeing him trying to heal.  
  
He knows it will take time. Every cut needs time to heal and Nico's wounds are no different. And he knows there are things that will never go away, things that will leave scars in that stubborn, gloomy heart of his, but he supposes it doesn't matter. What it matters, right now, is that Nico is allowing himself to heal, and that's worth everything.  
  
"Nico," he calls him. Nico turns to him, his gaze fixed on his face, and he's really pale (the skin shining under the light of the sun, and Will remembers seeing his hands slowly dissolve into shadows) but he looks better than before, so he calls it a progress. "I wanted to apologize." he says, in the end.  
  
Nico is surprised. "Apologize for what?" he asks, raising an eyebrow (and of course he's able to do that, of course), like he's afraid Will's going crazy.  
  
"For what I told you," Will explains, his brain racing to find the right words. He rehearsed this speech so many time in his mind, but right now he can't even speak under Nico's curious eyes. "When we were being held by Octavian, I mean".  
  
Nico seems to reach some kind of understanding, because he stops looking at him with a furrowed brow and shakes his head.  
  
"You don't have to apologize," he says, hastily. "You didn't ..."  
  
"I didn't consider your feelings and I'm sorry," he interrupts him. Nico doesn't try to speak, but looks at him like he can' believe him. "I didn't want to tell you that your feelings aren't valid. Even if you were wrong, you still felt unwelcome and I had no right to tell you that you made it up," he continues, looking away. He feels Nico's gaze on him, but he can't look at him, not right now. "I'm sorry."  
  
Nico stays silent for a while, and Will realizes how much he's missed this. He has missed the way Nico doesn't speak right away, but elaborates his answer, and sometimes studies him like he's asking himself if Will's worth the risk of trusting him. Even if Will wants to punch him, sometimes, he has missed this. He has missed Nico. There's no point of denying it - he has missed him, and that's all.  
  
"Will," Nico calls him. He looks up, meeting his eyes, and he's surprised when he sees an half smile on his face. "We were held hostages by Octavian and we were about to die. I forgive your poor choice of phrasing."  
  
Will smiles at that. "I'm still sorry, though."  
  
"Shut up," Nico says, but there's something in his voice - something that sounds like affection, like he's grateful for his apology and he can't express it. But Will knows. Will's heart flutters in his chest, and he feels like a total idiot. "But thank you," Nico continues, and this time he looks serious, his eyes finding Will's, again."For saying you're sorry. And for convincing me to stay, I suppose."  
  
Will shrugs, and smiles a little bit, thinking of all the time he's tried to convince him and tried to keep him here, safe. Maybe Nico was right - maybe he was too naive to believe that people would welcome him just like that. Maybe that wasn't the right time. But now the sun shines on their skin, and the camp is readjusting itself, and life is beginning again, and nobody cares if there's a son of Hades who can summon zombies in the camp. They have all been through enough. Maybe now it's the right time. Will hopes so - he'd really like to have Nico here for more than a few days. "It's not so bad here after all, isn't it?"  
  
Nico looks at him, and Will feels there's more beauty in the small smile Nico gives him than in the whole world. "No, it's not so bad."  
  
(v)  
  
Will has imagined this a lot of times - Nico's head on his shoulder, their hands linked together, and a quiet sense of happiness hanging around them - but the reality is so, so much better than his fantasies, because he can actually feel the softness of Nico's hand, the way his head weights on his shoulder, his breath ghosting on his skin every time his chest rises and falls, and that's beautiful.  
  
He's never felt this close to anyone. And it's not just the physical closeness that amazes him - even if it is still surprising, he's not used to Nico being so physically affectionate, but he's not complaining at all - but the way he feels so comfortable with Nico, sharing secrets he never told anyone and not being mocked for them - telling him he's scared, and he's afraid he won't be good enough, that people will still die and he won't be able to help, and Nico silenced that thought with a touch of his hand, telling him it's going to be alright. Yes, that amazes him.  
  
"It feels nice." says Nico, after a while. They're supposed to be looking at the stars, but Will finds the boy sitting next to him so much more fascinating than the night sky. Oh gods he's becoming sappy. He's going to strangle himself after this.  
  
But, anyway, he caresses with his thumb the back of Nico's hand, like he's assuring himself he's still there and not melting into shadows. "I knew you were a cuddler."  
"Shut up." Nico snorts, but he doesn't pull away, and Will feels his smile against his shoulder. "This feels nice. Being close to you. I almost feel warm," he adds, and traces the line of their joined hands with his fingers. "I haven't been able to feel warmth since I left Tartarus."  
  
The words hang in the air for a minute, before Will can truly grasp them - and then he looks down at Nico, surprised, and he can't even speak, his voice lost somewhere between his throat and his lips. 

Nico raises his head and pulls away, taking his face into his hands. He looks so fragile, so scared, and Will doesn't know what to do. There's no process for helping someone who crawled out of Hell. He feels lost, like he's just stepped in the darkness. "Sorry, that was a terrible conversation starter for a first date," Nico murmurs, quickly, the face still buried in his hands so that his voice arrives muffled. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"No," Will says, finding his voice again. He reaches out tentatively and slowly pulls Nico's hand away from his face, intertwining their fingers and caressing his skin. He tries to be reassuring, but he's so scared of hurting him. He knows Nico and he likes him, but talking to him is like walking on a minefield and he's terrified of pulling the wrong string and hurting him. There's no manual that can tell you how to handle this, and he's afraid, his heart beating furiously in his chest, but he tries his best. He always tries his best. "No, it's okay," he repeats, soothing him. Nico is looking down, and he can't even meet his eyes, but Will sees him slowly breathing in and out, calming himself. "We can talk about it, if you want. If you don't want, that's also okay."  
  
Nico finally raises his head and meets his eyes. He's still pale, but he's not fading anymore, his hands solid in his grip, and Will holds them like he's not going to let him go. Nico watches their hands and smiles a little bit, and that smile seems to bring some life back into his face, and that's beautiful, the way Nico just lights up sometimes. He's still caressing his skin, as if trying to warm him up. "It's just ... there's nothing to talk about," he says, in the end. "That place is just terrible. I'm lucky to be alive."  
  
Will can't even imagine how hard it must have been, and his grip becomes more firm, and he doesn't know if that's because he wants to reassure Nico or himself. "I'm really glad you are, you know."  
  
Nico smiles again. It's a small smile and it's broken, but it's okay, they're going to be okay someday. "Yeah. And ever since I find it difficult to feel warmth. I'm not freezing, I'm just not ... feeling it." he says, and shrugs. "I think it takes time, you know, my body and my soul have to readjust to life, but I feel so weird. I can't even explain," Nico looks up to him, and his eyes are scared. "I feel like a part of me stayed in there. And I--" his voice breaks, and that's it. That's when Will decides it's enough, he won't let him face it all alone. He slowly disentangles his hands and Nico looks surprised, but then he reaches out and pulls the boy into his arm. At this point, Nico is stunned. "What are you doing?" he asks.  
  
"Warming you up," he explains, hugging Nico from behind. "Are you okay with it?"  
  
Nico smiles, and closes his eyes, resting his head against his chest. "Yeah, more than okay." he answers, and that's all Will needs. He pulls him closer, and that feels so nice, feeling Nico against him, the way his chest rises under Will's hands, the steady beating of his heart just beneath his fingertips. "Thank you. Really. It means a lot to me."  
  
Will smiles. "We're going to figure out this. Together," he says, so sure of himself. And he knows there's no manual, there are no instructions to follow, there's only his stubborn heart and the quiet determination he feels flowing in his veins with his blood. There are no instructions, but he's not going to give up. They're going to figure it out, they're going to find a way to be okay. They're going to be fine. "Meanwhile, I can warm you up. I am the son of the sun god, sunshine. Warmth is my thing."  
  
Nico laughs, and Will can feel his chest vibrate under his hands, and that's so beautiful - Nico is laughing, and everything is right in the world. "You are a dork."  
  
"Yeah, you like me anyways, so."  
  
Nico turns to face him, an eyebrow raised in a silent question, but he's smiling. "I do?"  
  
"You do," Will confirms, even if he doesn't feel so sure."But don't worry, I'll keep your secret."  
  
Nico laughs again. "Shut up, Solace."  
  
( _i_ )  
  
Nico wakes up from a nightmare at three in the morning, and Will looks at him, his face so ghostly pale against the pillow, his chest rising and falling so quickly Will loses count of the breaths, and reaches out for his hand, linking their fingers together.  
  
"Nightmare?" he asks, and Nico turns to him, his eyes as dark as the night that surrounds them. His breathing is still labored, as if he just ran for his life, and his face seems haunted by the remains of the dream, and Will tightens his grip on Nico's hand, not letting him go.  
  
"Yeah," he just says, his voice weak and broken. He closes his eyes for a moment. "Sorry if I woke you up."  
  
"It's okay," Will says. His voice is still sleepy, but his brain is awake and racing to find the right words to say right now. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
Nico shakes his head, and his hair falls on his eyes. Will's heart flutters in his chest. "Not really," that's the only thing he says. Will's not offended - he knows Nico's not a great talker after a nightmare. "Can you just--" he interrupts himself and takes a deep breath. "Can you hold me for a while?"  
  
Will smiles and lets go of Nico's hand, just to pull him closer, against his chest, one arm swung around his waist to reassure him, to let him know that he's there for him.  
  
"Thank you." Nico says, and Will snorts, and then kisses the top of his head.  
  
"You don't have to thank me, you absolute nerd." he murmurs, but Nico just laughs and pulls him closer, and it's okay, they're going to be okay.  
  
There are nightmares and there are scars, and sometimes his hands tremble and sometimes Nico just pulls away, but they're going to be okay. Will believes it. They're going to be okay.  
  
He kisses Nico's head again, and feels Nico's quiet laugh against his chest. "You are becoming such a sap".  
  
"Shut up." he says, and Nico laughs again.  
  
They are going to be okay.

  



End file.
